The last few week shave been “intense” and “challenging” for Iga Swiatek, but the world No 1 says she is happy with her work and progress despite some fans having “higher expectations”.

Following a surprise fourth-round exit from Australian Open, Swiatek returned with a bang as she successfully defended her Qatar Open title and followed it up by reaching the Dubai Tennis Championship final.

However, she finished runner-up to Barbora Krejcikova as the Czech picked up an impressive 6-4, 6-2 win for her second victory in as many finals against the Pole.

Despite a very successful stint in the Middle East, some fans expect Swiatek to win every single match and some of those lofty expectations are coming off the back of her brilliant 2022 season where she won eight tournaments – including the French Open and US Open – and also enjoyed a 37-match winning streak.

Swiatek, who maintains a comfortable lead at the top of the WTA Rankings despite her defeat, was pleased with her efforts and took to social media to reflect on her performances.

“Yesterday I was still in Dubai, today I’m in Warsaw, soon in Indian Wells…,” she wrote. “These last few weeks were intense, and challenging but we did a lot of good work and progress.

“I enjoyed tournaments in Doha and Dubai and even though I lost the final in Dubai (huuuuge congrats @bkrejcikova) my level was good despite the infection and I gave it all I could at the moment.

“I can see that some of you have higher expectations of me but well… I’m just human. I will keep my standards high, I will enjoy my time on tour and keep working hard. At the end of the day that is all I can control. My effort and engagement.”

Following her victory over Goco Gauff in the semi-final, Swiatek was asked how she feels when people say “it’s so easy for Iga” after she dropped only three games in her first three matches.

“I don’t really hear that a lot because during the tournaments I’m kind of trying to stay off social media as much as possible. I’m posting my stuff. It’s not like I’m reading a lot,” she said.

“Honestly, I don’t mind that they’re saying if it looks easy or not. I know that it’s never easy. If somebody wins also with a great score, it’s not like…

“Tennis is such a complicated sport that you’re never going to know why or what happened. I feel like if you work hard and you give 100% on every match, your chances are going to come.

“So I’m pretty glad that I can play dominant tennis right now, but I’m really ready for every match and I’m really concentrated and motivated. I think if I wouldn’t be, I would just have different score. It’s just work.”

Swiatek will next be in action at the Sunshine Double as she will defend her Indian Wells Open and Miami Open titles before heading to Europe for the clay-court season – where she was unbeaten last year as she won the Stuttgart Grand Prix, Italian Open and French Open.

READ MORE: Iga Swiatek’s 2023 tennis schedule: Where is she competing next and her season so far…

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